By Aida Aziz
LUMUT: Three teenagers who were reported missing after drifting at sea while on a small boat in the waters off Pasir Panjang here were successfully rescued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Perak in a recent search and rescue operation.
Perak Maritime Director Maritime Captain Mohamad Shukri Khotob, said the Perak Maritime State Operations Centre received an emergency report through the 999 hotline at 6.57pm.
He said PERKASA 1223 was immediately deployed to the incident location, estimated to be about 3.2 nautical miles southeast of Pulau Katak.
“The weather conditions during the operation were reported to be unfavourable with northwesterly winds reaching between 30 and 40 kilometres per hour.
“Wave heights were between 1.5 and 2.5 metres, with thunderstorms reported in several areas, which increased safety risks at sea,” he said.
PERKASA 1223 arrived at the location at about 8.25pm and successfully located all three victims safe together with their small boat.
All the victims, aged 16, were brought to Marina Island Jetty in Lumut before being handed over to their respective families at 10.10pm.
“It is understood that the three teenagers were initially loitering in a nearby river while waiting for the time to break their fast.
“However, they did not realise the change in weather conditions and strong winds, which caused the mooring rope to snap, resulting in the boat drifting out to sea,” he said.
He also advised parents and families living near coastal areas to constantly monitor and remain alert to the movements of their children.
This is especially important for teenagers to ensure they do not venture out to sea without proper supervision and safety measures.
